The kingdom still stands.

Barely.

I walk through the ruined streets of Eldoria, the once-proud capital of the world. The sky is thick with smoke, the air stained with the scent of blood and fire. Bodies litter the roads—men, women, children—slaughtered like animals. I step over them, my boots dragging through the filth, my limbs too numb to shake.

This wasn't supposed to happen.

We fought for them. We bled for them. We—the Heroes of Eldoria—were meant to protect this kingdom.

And in the end, it was the kingdom that killed us.

The Purification Order

The first decree came like a whisper. The royal court called it the Purification Order, a sacred duty to cleanse humanity of its "corruption."

Heroes. Deviants. Those blessed with power.

We were never meant to exist, they said.

Our magic, our abilities—they called them a curse, a stain on mankind's purity. At first, we thought it was just paranoia. The King had always been wary of magic, but we were his champions, weren't we?

But then came the executions.

One by one, the nobility turned on us. Our allies, the people we saved, stood by and watched as the purge began. They clapped as the heads of my friends were put on pikes. They cheered as the bodies of my comrades burned in the city square.

And when we fought back?

They called us traitors.

I see their faces as I walk through the rubble. I hear their voices in the howling wind.

Reyna, the Stormheart – My second-in-command. She was wild, fearless, the kind of warrior who laughed in the face of death. They caught her in the city slums, dragged her through the streets, and cut out her tongue before they killed her. She died on her knees, lightning still crackling at her fingertips.

Darian, the Adamant – My oldest friend. The unshakable shield of our party. He held the eastern gate for three days alone, buying time for innocent civilians to flee. They found his body covered in blood, a hundred corpses piled at his feet. He died standing.

Lucien, the Phantom Blade – The fastest swordsman I ever knew. He once told me that if he ever had to die, he'd do it on his own terms. And so he did. Instead of letting them take him, he threw himself into the abyss of Eldoria's great chasm. His body was never found.

Selene, the Everlight – The only one who still believed in peace, even at the very end. She tried to negotiate with the king. She walked into the royal court alone, unarmed. They burned her alive in the palace courtyard as an example.

Aeris, the Dawnflower – My heart. My light. My everything.

She smiled at me before they took her away.

She knew I couldn't save her.

And I knew that if I saw what they did to her, I would burn this kingdom to the ground with my own hands.

So she told me to keep looking forward. To survive. To build something that would last.

So I ran.

I was the only one left. The last Hero of Eldoria.

The final days of my life, I drag myself into the ruined palace, my breath shallow. My body is broken, my mind barely holding together.

I should have died with them. I should have let them kill me.

But I didn't and now, I have one last thing left to give.

I collapse against the shattered throne, pressing my hands against the cold stone floor.

Magic surges through me, raw and uncontained, turning the air thick with golden light. I pour everything into it.

A system. Not just a spell, not just a relic—but something greater. Something that can outlive me.

The Genesis System. The knowledge of everything we lost. The memories of those who died. The truth of what happened here, so that no one will ever forget.

But it can't just go to anyone.

No.

It must be someone worthy.

I write the conditions into the system with shaking hands, my blood dripping onto the marble. Someone with a good heart. Someone who still believes in humanity. Someone willing to die for others.

Not like me. Not someone who failed.

Ten days. That's how long it takes.

Ten days without sleep. Without food. Without rest.

The pain becomes unbearable. My mind fractures, but I keep going. The calculations, the connections, the balance—it all needs to be perfect. I carve the final sigils into the air with what remains of my life force.

The Genesis System is complete. And so am I.

My vision blurs. My body refuses to move. A soft chime echoes in the silence, and a translucent screen flickers into existence before me.

[System Initializing…]

I force a weak smile.

It worked.

The screen flickers, words shifting, forming a message I know will be the only thing left of me.

If you are reading this… you are the last.

I exhale, closing my eyes. The embers of Eldoria burn around me, turning everything to ash.

And in the darkness, I see her.

Aeris.

She stands in a field of golden lilies, the ones she used to love. The sun catches in her hair, making it shimmer like woven fire, and when she turns to me, her smile is soft—warm, like the first light of dawn after a bitter night.

"You always overworked yourself" she says, shaking her head, teasing. 

"You were never meant to carry everything alone, Elias."

My fingers twitch, reaching for her, but she is only light and memory, always just beyond my grasp.

"You did well" she murmurs, and my chest tightens at the gentleness in her voice.

Did I? I don't know anymore.

But if she says so… maybe it's enough.

But maybe, just maybe—

Hope will rise again. Someone stronger than me can change the fate of this world.